Reimer Sharp but Sharks Lose 3-2 Shootout to Kings

Los Angeles Kings’ Trevor Moore (12) scores against San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sat Dec 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

James Reimer made 39 saves in his second game back from injury but the San Jose Sharks dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Los Angeles Kings from the Crypto.com Arena. Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc scored in the loss, while Phillip Danault and Jaret Anderson-Dolan lit the lamp for LA(17-12-5).

Trevor Moore scored the shootout winner and Pheonix Copley stopped Alexander Barabanov to seal the loss for San Jose (10-16-6).

Danault opened the scoring on the power play 5:54 into the game when he managed to enter the zone and get Jaycob Megna turned around, roofing the puck for his 8th goal of the year with Drew Doughty and the goalie Copley picking up assists.

The Sharks evened it up on the power play with 6:37 left in the period when Erik Karlsson’s point shot rattled around before finding its way to Timo Meier on the opposite post. Meier knocked the puck home for his 15th of the year with Logan Couture picking up the primary assist in the aftermath of the Karlsson shot.

Labanc gave the Sharks a short-lived lead, scoring on a wrist shot with 4:34 left in the second. Meier chased down a failed backhand clearance from Sean Durzi then stripped Danault of the puck in the Kings zone. He then fed Labanc unmarked in the slot for the wrister.

The Kings tied it up just 50 seconds later when Mikey Anderson’s shot bounced off Reimer and landed at the feet of Anderson-Dolan for the second chance goal.

Neither team scored in the third period and the Sharks failed to cash in on an overtime power play. Gabe Vilardi and Logan Couture shared misses on the first two shootout attempts, then Reimer and Copley made saves in round two. The Kevin’s, Fiala and Labanc, scored for their respective teams in round three.

Moore scored in round four and wound up with his second shootout game winner courtesy a Copley stop of Barabanov after getting the decision against Boston Thursday as well (and inking a contract extention too).

The Sharks head home for a back-to-backer, facing Calgary Sunday at SAP Center. They won’t have to wait long for their next opponent to come to town as they’ll face the Flames again Tuesday before welcoming the Minnesota Wild Thursday.

Bonino, Lindblom score First of Year, Sharks Still Drop 6-3 Decision to Sabres to Wrap Road Trip

San Jose Sharks center Steven Lorentz (16) and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Fitzgerald (45) battle for the puck during the second period at Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Sun Dec 4, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington 

Another night, another rough second period that went from a lead to a loss for the San Jose Sharks. The Buffalo Sabres hung three unanswered goals on the Sharks (8-16-4) in the second period Sunday from KeyBank Center in Buffalo to hand the San Jose its third loss, 6-3, in a four-game road trip.

Nick Bonino and Oskar Lindblom scored their first goals of the season, but the good vibes stopped there. Jack Quinn had a pair of goals for Buffalo (11-13-1) who outshot the Sharks 38-29. Buffalo’s power play went 2 for 4.

San Jose held a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes despite Tage Thompson and the Sabres scoring first. Bonino tied the game at the 13:40 mark on a snap shot and Kevin Labanc scored his fifth of the year on the power play with 3:41 left in the period. 

The lead only lasted 16 seconds into the 2nd when JJ Peterka scored his sixth of the year. Jeff Skinner joined the scored at the 4:21 mark for a 3-2 lead, then Quinn scored the eventual game winner on the power play with 6:15 left in the middle frame.

Quinn opened the scoring in the third as well, beating Aaron Dell 11:23 into the period. Dell made 32 saves on 37 shots Linblom scored his first as a Shark just 29 seconds later to make it 5-3 but Alex Tuch’s 12th of the year into an empty net with 3:23 doubled the Sharks up again. 

San Jose gets a little rest and a return trip home after stops in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and now Buffalo. They’ll next face Vancouver at home Wednesday night.

Sharks Rough Roadie Continues with 5- 2 Loss to Sens

Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) falls onto San Jose Sharks defenseman Jaycob Megna (24) as they skate next to Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) during the second period at Canadian Tire Arena in Ottawa on Sat Dec 4, 2022 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks fell victim to a scorching hot opponent, falling to the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on the road Saturday night. Tomas Hertl scored both Sharks goal but a three-point night gave the Senators (10-13-1) their fourth win in five games. Kaapo Kähkönen made 34 saves in the loss while Anton Forsberg earned the win with 35 saves on 37 Sharks shots. The penalty kill for the Sharks (8-15-4) had a tough night, giving up 3 goals on 5 chances.

Hertl scored the first goal of the game on the power play 7:26 into the first period after the Sharks power play turned Forsberg into a target in a shooting gallery. A first shot rebounded out to Alexander Barabanov but Forsberg’s athleticism allowed him to make the save. He wasn’t as fortunate with Hertl on rebound chance number two for a 1-0 lead.

Ottawa answered back with a power play strike of their own when Brady Tkachuk beat Kähkönen just under three minutes later. He missed on a net front redirect but pushed the rebound home for his 12th goal of the year.On the next shift Hertl found redemption for a neutral zone gaffe he made in the 3-1 loss to Toronto earlier in the week.

Just outside Ottawa’s blue line Hertl blocked an Ottawa pass to go the other way. Kevin Labanc carried in the puck, passed it to former Sen Erik Karlsson on the opposite boards. Karlsson fed Hertl in close for the easy goal, his of ninth the year, and a 2-1 lead with 8:57 left in the first period.

Despite a 27-25 shot advantage, the Sharks would be outscored by Ottawa 4-0 over the final two periods. Giroux scored an unassisted goal 5:22 into the second to tie the game and Tim Stützle scored the game-winner at the 16:40 mark on the power play.

Thomas Chabot scored his fourth goal of rhe campaign, with Giroux picking up a secondary assist on the power play strike. He’d added a second goal with 4:15 left for the final 5-2 marker, his 11th of the year.

The Sharks continue their tough road trip with a second back-to-back after playing in Montreal Tuesday and Toronto Wednesday. They face the Buffalo Sabres looking to split the road trip.

Late Error Costs Sharks in 3-1 Loss to Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitchell Marner, left, celebrates with Auston Matthews after scoring an empty-net goal at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wed Nov 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

A late goal sunk the San Jose Sharks in Toronto Wednesday night with the Sharks falling to the Maple Leafs 3-1 in the second game of a back-to-back.

Matt Nieto scored in a second consecutive contest and Aaron Dell made 29 saves in his first start of the year but Pierre Engvall goal with 2:27 left in regulation eliminated an opportunity for San Jose (8-14-4) to pick up a three-point (or more) trip through Canada’s Original Six squads. Ilya Samsonov made 23 saves in the win.

The Maple Leafs (15-5-5) had won four-straight entering play and took a 1-0 4:19 into the second period after sustained pressure in the offensive zone. On the goal Auston Matthews redirected a shot pass from Mac Hollowell for his 12th goal of the year.

Nieto scored his 6th of the year, matching his total from last year in 70 games, taking a feed from Logan Couture from behind the net for the point blank shot to tie the game 7:26 into the second frame.

The heartbreaker came with 2:27 left in regulation when the Sharks were attempting to rush up the ice. An errant Tomas Hertl pass in the neutral zone was picked off by David Kampf who rushed back into the offensive zone. He fed the puck to Alex Kerfoot, but Dell made the save. The rebound bounced to Engvall who potted it for his third of the season. Mitch Marner added an empty-netter to extend his point streak to 18 games.

The Sharks get a little rest before their next stop in Ottawa. They face the Senators Saturday night. The Sharks will be waiting in Kanata for the Sens who play against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Friday night.

Sharks, Kähkönen Shut Out Habs 4-0

San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen deflects the puck off his glove during the first period. Kahkonen faced 28 shots and stopped all of them to shutout the Montreal Canadiens at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Tue Nov 29, 2022 (The Canadian Press photo/via AP)

By Matthew Harrington 

Kaapo Kähkönen and the San Jose Sharks shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre in Montreral in a penalty-filled contest. Tomas Hertl scored a pair, Logan Couture had two points and Matt Nieto scored for San Jose (8-13-4) to snap a three-game winless streak. Kähkönen made 28 saves for the win over Montreal (11-10-1).

Kähkönen was stellar in net, giving the Sharks confidence in their net situation with James Reimer currently out with an injury. Reimer had earned the bulk of starts while Kähkönen scuffled early in the year. 

Nieto opened the scoring on a wrister just 1:33 into the contest, but the real damage came in the thirs period. Hertl tipped a puck past Habs netminder Jake Allen 2:29 into the period for a 2-0 lead. Just 1:15 later Couture would beat Allen with a wrist shot then Hertl chipped in the empty netter with 2:14 left to play. Kevin Labanc assisted on both Hertl’s goals for a two-point period.

The Canadiens went on the man advantage six times, including a 5-on-3 to open the third, but Kähkönen was stout in the crease. The Sharks also had their power play chances, going up a man five times without scoring.

San Jose continues the Canadian road trip with a back-to-back, facing Toronto Wednesday night. Then its on to Ottawa Saturday for a match-up with the Senators.

Kraken Sink Sharks 8-5 Despite Meier Hat Trick

Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) sends the puck past San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) for a goal at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks will be thankful Wednesday night’s game is behind them when they gather around their respective tables on Thanksgiving. The Sharks lost to the Seattle Kraken 8-5 at Climate Pledge Arena despite a Timo Meier hat trick. Logan Couture and Alexander Barabanov also scored for the Sharks and Erik Karlsson notched his 30th point of the year, but three-point nights from Matty Beniers and Andre Burakovsky and a pair of goals from Jaden Schwartz pushed Seattle ahead.

Former Shark Martin Jones made 21 saves for the win while Kaapo Kahkonen saved 19 of 26 shots he faced. James Reimer did not travel with the team, sitting out with a lower body injury.

San Jose entered the second period up 2-1 after Couture scored on a redirect of a Nick Cicek shot 4:11 into play, Burakovsky converted on a 5-on-3 9:44 into the first and Meier scored his first of the night on a 4-on-3 power play with 1:07 left in the opening frame.

Seattle scored three-straight in the second period with Vince Dunn, ex-Shark Ryan Donato and Jaime Oleksiak all scoring in the first ten minutes and change of the period. Meier cut Seattle’s lead to 4-3 after beating Jones with 6:21 left in the period.

Barabanov scored a minute into the third to tie the game 3-3, giving the Sharks hope but Oliver Bjorkstrand responded almost immediately, beating Kahkonen at the 2:48 mark. Schwartz scored his first of the game 59 seconds later. Meier responded with a tip-in at the 8:58 mark for the hat trick and his team-leading 12th goal of the year but a Beniers tally at the 15:16 mark and a Schwartz empty netter iced the game for the Kraken who sit second in the Pacific Division.

The Sharks return home for a Friday contest against the Los Angeles Kings. They’ll be wearing their California/Oakland Seals inspired Reverse Retro jerseys for the first time when they hit the ice the day after Thanksgiving.

Reimer, Sharks Win 3rd In A Row, Trounce Vegas 5-2

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) defends against San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) during second period action at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Tue Nov 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks embarked on a tough four-game road trip that realistically could have resulted in four losses given how the season started. Instead, San Jose is on a three-game winning streak, having beaten stout competition in Dallas, Minnesota and their latest triumph, a 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights

Luke Kunin picked up his 100th career NHL point, Timo Meier scored the game-winner on the power play and James Reimer made 24 saves to lead San Jose (6-9-3) past the Pacific Division Leaders after trailing 2-1 after two periods. Erik Karlsson had a pair of assists, Logan Couture had a goal and an assist and Matt Nieto scored his second goal of the year.

Jack Eichel scored his 10th goal of the season for Vegas and Jonathan Marchessault lit the lamp in the loss for Vegas (13-4-0). The Sharks went 1-for-2 on the power play and killed off all 3 Golden Knights power plays.

Nieto tied the game 2-2 1:03 into the third when four Vegas skaters all seemed to be deked out by Alexander Barabanov below the goal line. They expected Barabanov to rim the puck around, opening the slot for Nieto for an easy unmarked goal. Timo Meier gave the Sharks the late lead on the power play at the 17:12 mark, his 8th goal of the year.

The Sharks had just killed off a high-sticking minor at the 14:10 mark before Reilly Smith was sent off for tripping. Couture, who assisted on the Meier goal, also scored an empty netter. Mario Ferraro scored the second empty-netter for the blow out win.

Vegas got on the board first, with Jack Eichel continue his superstar turn in 2022. He was wide open for a cross-crease pass with just 4 seconds left in the first period to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. The goal was a result of a turnover from Nick Cicek who was making his NHL debut with Radim Simek out with an upper body injury.

Kunin scored his milestone goal 8:05 into the 2nd period to tie the game 1-1 after picking up a Karlsson rebound and ripping a shot home. The play was kept alive by Nico Sturm’s forechecking effort to force a Vegas gaffe, good for a secondary assist.

Marchessault beat Reimer with 4:07 left in the period for a 2-1 lead, but he’d be stellar otherwise. After entering the season in a goalie share system, Reimer has emerged as the team’s starter, manning the pipes for all three wins.

The Sharks return home 6 points richer to welcome the emerging Detroit Red Wings Thursday night. After that, they’ll welcome the New York Rangers Saturday and the Ottawa Senators Monday in a three-game homestand.

Sharks Rally to Erase 2 Goal Deficit, Beat Wild 3-2 in Shootout for First Back-to-back Wins of Season

Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek is stopped by San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) with Sharks’ Jaycob Megna and Nico Sturm (7) looking on in the first period at the Excel Energy Arena in St Paul Minn on Sun Nov 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks scored two goals in the final seven minutes to erase a two-goal deficit and finished off the Minnesota Wild in a shootout for their first set of consecutive wins. Steven Lorentz scored his second goal of the year for San Jose (59-3), Nico Sturm scored his sixth and James Reimer made 28 saves for the win.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a pair of assists and Erik Karlsson added a helper for his team-leading 22nd point of the season. Connor Dewar and Frederick Gaudreau tallied the goals for Minnesota (7-6-2) while Filip Gustavsson made 35 saves.

Kirill Kaprizov had the lone goal of the shootout when Nick Bonino hit the ice for the Sharks third do-or-die shot. He beat Gustavsson then Reimer made a toe save on Joel Eriksson Ek to give San Jose a shot to win in the fourth round. Alexander Barabanov went five-hole on Gustavsson to seal the deal for the two points.

With the Sharks Trailing 2-0, Lorentz started the comeback after grazing the net front and picking up a rebound off Vlasic’s point shot. His first backhander wasn’t successful but he got a second opportunity and buried it at the 13:56 mark.

Sturm, a member of the Minnesota Wild from 2018 to a mid-season trade last year, created the tying goal out of nothing. He picked the puck off the Sharks end boards while Minnesota were transitioning back to defense. He fed it to Vlasic in the Sharks end and Vlasic dished it to Karlsson coming down the center lane.

Karlsson backhanded it to Sturm before crossing the defensive blue line and Sturm skated it all the way into the offensive zone, snapping a wrist shot before the faceoff circle that beat Gustavsson stick side for a 2-2 tie with 4:11 left.

Gaudreau’s goal 6:45 into the first period was a thing of beauty both for the goal and Kaprizov’s assist. Kaprizov was able to thread a puck through three Sharks defenders on the boards in an inexplicable angle. Gaudreau was turned with his back to the end wall, but he turned and waited out Reimer skating across the crease for the 1-0 lead.

The other Wild goal came on a Sharks gaffe with Karlsson manning the point on the power play. The defenseman was back skating butay have hit a divot and took a tumble, giving Mason Shaw a breakaway chance. Dewar joined Jim for a 2-on-0, Shaw did the unselfish thing and made the pass and Dewar buried the easy goal 3:37 into the third.

After winning back-to-back games where they weren’t their best, the Sharks will need their A-game for the win in their next game. They travel to Sin City to face the Western Conference leader Golden Knights Tuesday night.

Sharks Survive Dallas 5-4 to Snap Five-Game Skid, Meier Scores in Fifth-Straight

San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier celebrates after scoring against the Dallas Stars in the second period in Dallas on Fri Nov 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks avenged a loss to the last place St. Louis Blues the night before by holding on to defeat former Sharks coach Peter DeBoer and the Dallas Stars 5-4 Friday and snap a five-game losing streak. Timo Meier scored in his fifth-straight contest, Alexander Barabanov, Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture each had a goal and an assist and Evgeny Svechnikov scored his 3rd goal of the season for San Jose.

Dallas captain Jamie Benn scored a pair of goals and the top line for Dallas (8-5-1) of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson combined for 5 points in a losing effort. Stars netminder Jake Oettinger, a former tutee of Sharks coach David Quinn when Quinn coached Boston University, made 13 saves on 18 shots in his first game action after missing the previous four games. San Jose’s James Reimer earned the win over last year’s playoff phenom though, making 25 saves on 29 shots.

After finishing the first period tied 2-2 the Sharks (4-9-3) pulled away in a bizarre second period. Team Teal only put four shots on goal over the 20 minutes, but Timo Meier beat Oettinger clean on a wrist shot over the netminder’s right shoulder 29 seconds into the period.

Kevin Labanc got the assist on Meier’s 7th goal of the year after picking up a turnover created by Meier. 36 seconds later, the Sharks captain Couture scored after another Shark, Alexander Barabanov, picked off a turnover and fed for a one-timer. Couture now has goals in back-to-back games after scoring to put the Sharks period shooting percentage at 50% while giving the Sharks a 4-2 lead.

Tomas Hertl put the Sharks up by 3 after deking Oettinger in close on a backhand 29 seconds into the third period, taking a pass from Meier to slink in alone. Jaycob Megna also assited on the goal. Roope Hintz scored 6:18 into the period and Joe Pavelski netted his 7th goal of the campaign at the 12:06 mark but despite out shooting the Sharks 11-3 in the last frame they couldn’t find the equalizer to force overtime.

Jamie Benn opened the scoring 4:42 into play, but Alexander Barabanov scored at the 6:13 mark to tie the game. The Sharks took the first lead of the night at the 12:18 mark when Svechnikov beat Oettinger, but Benn scored his second with just 21 seconds left in the first to tie the game after 20 minutes.

San Jose continues its tour of Central Division foes with a trip to the State of Hockey Sunday afternoon. After the stop in Minnesota, they face Pacific Division rivals the Vegas Golden Knights on The Strip Tuesday to wrap up a four-game road trip.

Blues Snap 8-Game Skid, Beat Sharks 5-3; San Jose extends skid to 5 games

San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen can’t stop a loose puck that gets on top of him trying to defend against the St Louis Blues offense at the Enterprise Center in St Louis on Thu Nov 10, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks couldn’t continue the St. Louis Blues snide Thursday night, dropping a 5-3 loss in the Show Me State to help the Blues snap an 8-game losing streak. The big guns Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture scored for the Sharks and Erik Karlsson picked up a pair of assists but Calle Rosen broke a 3-3 tie in the third and Noel Acciari scored an empty-netter for the Blues victory and a fifth-straight San Jose loss. St. Louis (4-8-0) is now just one point back of San Jose for the last spot in the Western Conference.

San Jose (3-9-3) started off slowly, giving up a Torey Krug goal just 2:30 into the game but responded with a goal with 3:41 left in the period. The goal is credited to Timo Meier in the official scorecard, but was an own-goal by Justin Faulk on a point shot from Erik Karlsson. The puck bounced around and could credibly have been credited to Karlsson, Meier or Tomas Hertl. Regardless, it tied the game 1-1 after one period.

Jordan Kyrou got lost in Sharks coverage for an easy backdoor power play goal 6:59 into the second period for a 2-1 lead, but Hertl provided the equalizer after Kevin Labanc’s off angle shot rebounded off Jordan Binnington in the Blues net for a perfect slot chance. Hertl converted on it for a 2-all hockey game with 6:55 left in the period.

The Blues wouldn’t let the period play out like the first, scoring with 1:52 left in the middle stanza on Brandon Saad’s first goal of the year. The Sharks captain Logan Couture knotted the game at 3-3 1:26 into the third when Karlsson flicked a puck on net from the boards and Couture tipped it past Binnington, one of three goals on 30 Sharks shots. Rosen scored the winner on a rare point shot goal 8:20 into the period. Acciari scored the empty netter with 19 seconds left. Kaapo Kahkohnen made 28 saves on 32 shots in the loss.

The Sharks won’t have long to ruminate on the loss against the current cellar dweller. They travel to Dallas to face the Stars Friday in the Big D. The Stars are currently second in the Central Division and could see their superstar goalie Jake Oettinger return from injury to face team Teal.